I am looking to buy a used car probably from an private seller I was wondering what testing equipment you?

Question

would bring along with you to test the mechanical health of the vehicle? My list so far is a tire depth gauge, Hydrometer (radiator coolant tester), multimeter for (alternator battery testing), OBD II tool, I found down-loadable 125pt inspection sheets on lots of vehicles at www.cars.com I will bring this as well to check off other items ie: lights, wipers etc. perhaps a temp gauge to check A/C temp. I was also wondering if I should just spend the money to have a mechanic look at the car via appointment. If you could give me some options of ideas that would be wonderful.

Answer 1

Damn that sounds like to much you sound crazy like to much of a perfectionist or sumthin

Answer 2

My friend the BIGGEST thing you want to do is check the Kelly Blue Book on the vehicle you are buying. If it is just incredibly under priced... there is probably a hidden problem somewhere. Don't fall for stories about why he just HAS to sell this car for whatever reason. Someone who needs money badly will generally be trying to sell their car for MORE than it is worth... not way less!



While I applaud you for trying to be smart about this... most of what you mentioned, other than the multimeter isn't going to do you much good. Even that will only tell you if the battery has a full charge and if it doesn't it could be the battery or the alternator. Depending on the make of the vehicle the alternator CAN be expensive... even for a rebuilt one.



Here are some things to look for. Before you ever start the car for a test drive, pop the hood and see if the engine is already warm. There are MANY things that can be covered up by a car that is already warmed up by the time you arrive to test drive it. You want to start a COLD engine. See how easily it starts. Listen carefully to the sound of the engine from inside the car and out with the hood up. Even people who know nothing about a car can hear when an engine doesn't seem to run SMOOTHLY! If you here stange knocking sounds in the engine, it is likely the valves having a problem. Open the oil fill cover on the head. Is it clean? Does it have a bunch of yucky looking foamy stuff showing on the insde of the cap, or down inside the valve cover? If so, it has a blow head. Do this before you drive it and AFTER you have driven it for at LEAST 15 minutes. Is there strange POPPING sounds as you turn the wheels sharply on corners? CV joints might be going out. Strange RATTLING sounds under the car might be a catalytic converter going out and those ARE expensive! If it is an automatic does it shift SMOOTHLY? Do you here CLUNKS when you put it in either drive or reverse?



Biggest thing is to LISTEN and FEEL. If everything seems very smooth and the price STILL sounds to good to be true based off Kelly Blue Book value for that car (look it up before you ever go see it) then it might be worth taking to a mechcanic to do a quick check on. But I wouldn't even do that until you have contacted a few in your area telling them you want to buy a vehicle and would like to get a quick check on it and see which ones will give you a basic check at a price that is reasonable! Good luck!

Answer 3

It's a car f@@king hell I bet u any money I could do them checks in about 5mins with just me



Are the tyres bald no



Is the AC cold yes



Is the temp gage off the chart no



Is the eninge light on no



Did the car start yes the the battery's not flat





U will yet some very odd looks when start measuring tyre tread trust me